Toddlers lesson plans for May: flowers and bugs
A week of play for toddlers (12 to 36 months) in May: one sensory or play idea a day, a song, a book and outside time, Monday to Friday in the room and two days for families at home. One page to print.
Monday
Play: Bug hunt: look under a log or a rock for bugs, and put it back after.
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Outside: Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch).
Tuesday
Play: Flower painting: paint with a big flower dipped in paint.
Song: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Outside: Water the garden together.
Wednesday
Play: Crawl like a caterpillar, flutter like a butterfly.
Song: Lavender's Blue
Outside: Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch).
Thursday
Play: Plant a seedling: a small plant from the garden center into a pot of soil, watered every day.
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Outside: Water the garden together.
Friday
Play: Smell the flowers: which one smells the most?
Song: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Outside: Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch).
Saturday (at home)
Play: Garden help: water the plants with a small watering can.
Song: Lavender's Blue
Outside: Water the garden together.
Sunday (at home)
Play: Bug walk: count the bugs you see on a walk: one, two, three.
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Outside: Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch).
Books for the week
The words to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” (Traditional)
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
The words to “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” (Traditional)
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.
The words to “Lavender's Blue” (Traditional)
Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green; When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday (at home) | Sunday (at home) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | Bug hunt: look under a log or a rock for bugs, and put it back after. | Flower painting: paint with a big flower dipped in paint. | Crawl like a caterpillar, flutter like a butterfly. | Plant a seedling: a small plant from the garden center into a pot of soil, watered every day. | Smell the flowers: which one smells the most? | Garden help: water the plants with a small watering can. | Bug walk: count the bugs you see on a walk: one, two, three. |
| Song | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary | Lavender's Blue | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary | Lavender's Blue | Itsy Bitsy Spider |
| Book | Ants Are Strong | I See a Boy | Go, Snail, Go! | Who Lives Under the Log? | Ants Are Strong | I See a Boy | Go, Snail, Go! |
| Outside | Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch). | Water the garden together. | Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch). | Water the garden together. | Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch). | Water the garden together. | Look for ants on the path (watch, don't touch). |
Follow each child's own rhythm: babies eat and sleep when they need to. Nothing small enough to fit in a mouth; a grown-up's hand on any water. Saturday and Sunday are for families at home.
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